Monday, December 20, 2010
Not so Patiently Waiting for Santa
It has been a long time since I updated. It is among my resolutions come January to update regularly. But until then things are so busy, and crazy. We have been baking, wrapping, decorating, and helping family out nonstop. We have suspended normal school until January 3. Next week Mason is home with his Mom, so we will just do some review and I will get myself organized for the few weeks after that. It is of course so much easier to stick to a routine, if I have materials ready to go. This week is cookie baking, reindeer crafts, and letters to Santa. The kids have been pretty good lately, but so crazy excited about all the holiday stuff. They go to bed and practically pass out exhausted. They ask every morning if Christmas is here yet. We continue to review all that they have learned so far, but they are a little distracted. We have been watching holiday movies, and discussing Christmas. We have made ornaments, gone to see lights, gone to a holiday sing at the library, and made holiday cookies. We are making muffins for Santa, since CJ and Eliza think he would prefer muffins. Shaped like gingerbread men and snowmen. They make me happy. I am so looking forward to Christmas Eve at my parents, and Christmas morning at home with the kiddos. It will be so wonderful this year, as they are at an age where everything is magical. I will update again soon, thanks for reading!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Just a little note
I have decided to forego any major lesson plans until the new year. I am still doing colors, numbers, letters and all, just in less detail. All three kids are so crazy excited about the Christmas decorations, Christmas movies, Christmas cookies, and all the other stuff. It has been very hard for them to focus, and to be perfectly frank, it is difficult for me to force it on them, and to make all the plans while trying to prepare for the holidays. So while not leaving all of the education in the rearview, I am not going to go into the depth I have been till January. Today Mason was home sick, so I am sure he won't be up to any major school stuff anyhow. Today we did some cleaning and had a pajama day. We cuddled on the couch, and cooked together. It was good to have a day to relax, among this crazy season. Last week we spent a lot of time outside cleaning out the garden and preparing the outside for winter. Just to make any of you garden lovers jealous I am going to show you pictures of my garden from last week, along with pictures of what I picked from it last week. The kids are already excited to plan next years' garden. This has been such a wonderful learning experience for all of us and a great family thing to share. Mason is also excited to plant seeds in the spring, especially the celery!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Tis the Season for Craziness
Sorry it has been so long since I updated. It has been so crazy, with Thanksgiving, my Mom's birthday, getting ready for Christmas. I hope to have my cards done by the end of the week. I have lots of cookie dough done, and the whole house was decorated by last Sunday. The kids are so excited about the holidays, and starting their advent calendar tonight. We did tons of review last week and got back into new stuff this week. We are doing F, 6, purple, rhombus/diamond, frogs, and nutrition. Yesterday we spent an hour and a half outside and cleaned out the last of the veggies that are not overwintering. I have been so exhausted I haven't had a chance to even check email. Monday I made homemade pierogies, and today we made foccaccia, an Italian bread as our F food. We have playgroup at the end of the week, and we are getting back into our routine. Though it will change the closer we get to the holidays. CJ and Eliza get very upset when we don't do school though. And with the busy weekend I wasn't as prepared as I usually am, so it has been a rough week.
Okay, lets calm this down and stop the rambling. First the letter F. Every day we sing the sound, and talk about words that start with F. We write it in the carpet and sand, trace it on paper and look at it in books. We identify foods that begin with F. We look outside for F things, and look at a children's dictionary. We practice identifying and writing it, and we review our poster daily, adding words as we think of them. We also make the letter with pipe cleaners.
For the number 6 we count it daily. We draw it in the carpet and sand, and trace it. We look for the number six in books, and signs. We make sets of six things. For each number we find out if it is even or odd, and we count it by twos if even. We made a poster for the number, and review it daily. We color worksheets with the number the word and pictures of that number of things. We look for the number everywhere. We identify the number six among other numbers. We identify sets of six. We make the shape of the number out of pipe cleaners.
For the color purple we make a color poster first. Each kiddo picks a crayon in our color of the week and draw a picture using only that color. We make a list of things that are that color. I write out the word in a sharpie of that color. We cut everything out and glue it to a large piece of construction paper. We then identify things all over the place that are that color. Purple was a little more difficult this time of year since there were no flowers left. We spend time identifying purple things, and look at enchanted learning to see the spectrum of the color and items that are on the spectrum. We also make playdough in our color and spend some time playing with it.
For our shape, we make a shape poster. We identify things that match the shape. We talk about the characteristics of the shape. What makes a rhombus a rhombus? We look around for things that are the shape and list them on the poster. We color and trace the shape on worksheets. We make the shape in the carpet, in the sand, and with pipe cleaners. We review it daily, and whenever we see anything that is that shape.
For our animals, we read about them. We identify them as carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores. We identify them as bipeds, quadrupeds or something else. We identify the animal type. We look at pictures of them, and talk about them. We compare them to other animals we know, and talk about how they are different. For frogs we read and discussed different types of frogs and their habitats. We talk about what we already know, and what we want to know. The key is to keep talking about it, and to review it often. I want them to retain the information so that is incredibly important.
For nutrition this week, we talked about favorite foods. I introduced them to the food pyramid, and we talked about the food groups. We sorted their play food into the food groups. At each meal we identify the foods from each group. We talk about sometimes foods and junk food, and why we should not eat just that type of food. We talked about how food goes into the body, and out of the body, and why healthful food is important. We identify healthful vs junk food. We planned some healthful meals, and talked about vegetable we want to plant in the garden next year. We talk a lot about where each type of food comes from. We talk about cooking food, and why we need to. We talked about what foods we can eat raw, and which we shouldn't. And we are only partway through the week!
Next week I will be much more organized, and we will keep adding review time into the week. I also think that this week we will trace the shape, letter and number into shave cream. I hope CJ doesn't hate it again. We are also learning to play board games. We learned Candy Land and Lucky Ducks awhile ago, and we learned Uno Moo this week. It is like Uno, but with colored animal figurines instead of cards. You put them in the barn. It is adorable, but exhausting trying to play it. The kids want everyone to win, and don't quite understand the point of playing the game. They think they just should play with the animals. We are working on following instructions. Amid the more frequent temper tantrums from all three kiddos. Eliza is often wearing underpants during the day, so we are making lots of progress in lots of areas. I just need a week off soon, to just play, watch TV, and not stress myself out. I am happy to be able to do this, but I think I push myself too hard. I make a homemade meal every day, and I bake bread and cookies. I try to keep the house clean, laundry done, and dishes washed. I keep making little projects, and am trying to do things for myself, but often that doesn't happen. I have Christmas gifts to make, cards to mail, menus to plan, and baking to do, all among the education of three children. Now I know why I am so tired! Thank you all for listening to my rant! Off I go to finish Christmas cards.
Okay, lets calm this down and stop the rambling. First the letter F. Every day we sing the sound, and talk about words that start with F. We write it in the carpet and sand, trace it on paper and look at it in books. We identify foods that begin with F. We look outside for F things, and look at a children's dictionary. We practice identifying and writing it, and we review our poster daily, adding words as we think of them. We also make the letter with pipe cleaners.
For the number 6 we count it daily. We draw it in the carpet and sand, and trace it. We look for the number six in books, and signs. We make sets of six things. For each number we find out if it is even or odd, and we count it by twos if even. We made a poster for the number, and review it daily. We color worksheets with the number the word and pictures of that number of things. We look for the number everywhere. We identify the number six among other numbers. We identify sets of six. We make the shape of the number out of pipe cleaners.
For the color purple we make a color poster first. Each kiddo picks a crayon in our color of the week and draw a picture using only that color. We make a list of things that are that color. I write out the word in a sharpie of that color. We cut everything out and glue it to a large piece of construction paper. We then identify things all over the place that are that color. Purple was a little more difficult this time of year since there were no flowers left. We spend time identifying purple things, and look at enchanted learning to see the spectrum of the color and items that are on the spectrum. We also make playdough in our color and spend some time playing with it.
For our shape, we make a shape poster. We identify things that match the shape. We talk about the characteristics of the shape. What makes a rhombus a rhombus? We look around for things that are the shape and list them on the poster. We color and trace the shape on worksheets. We make the shape in the carpet, in the sand, and with pipe cleaners. We review it daily, and whenever we see anything that is that shape.
For our animals, we read about them. We identify them as carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores. We identify them as bipeds, quadrupeds or something else. We identify the animal type. We look at pictures of them, and talk about them. We compare them to other animals we know, and talk about how they are different. For frogs we read and discussed different types of frogs and their habitats. We talk about what we already know, and what we want to know. The key is to keep talking about it, and to review it often. I want them to retain the information so that is incredibly important.
For nutrition this week, we talked about favorite foods. I introduced them to the food pyramid, and we talked about the food groups. We sorted their play food into the food groups. At each meal we identify the foods from each group. We talk about sometimes foods and junk food, and why we should not eat just that type of food. We talked about how food goes into the body, and out of the body, and why healthful food is important. We identify healthful vs junk food. We planned some healthful meals, and talked about vegetable we want to plant in the garden next year. We talk a lot about where each type of food comes from. We talk about cooking food, and why we need to. We talked about what foods we can eat raw, and which we shouldn't. And we are only partway through the week!
Next week I will be much more organized, and we will keep adding review time into the week. I also think that this week we will trace the shape, letter and number into shave cream. I hope CJ doesn't hate it again. We are also learning to play board games. We learned Candy Land and Lucky Ducks awhile ago, and we learned Uno Moo this week. It is like Uno, but with colored animal figurines instead of cards. You put them in the barn. It is adorable, but exhausting trying to play it. The kids want everyone to win, and don't quite understand the point of playing the game. They think they just should play with the animals. We are working on following instructions. Amid the more frequent temper tantrums from all three kiddos. Eliza is often wearing underpants during the day, so we are making lots of progress in lots of areas. I just need a week off soon, to just play, watch TV, and not stress myself out. I am happy to be able to do this, but I think I push myself too hard. I make a homemade meal every day, and I bake bread and cookies. I try to keep the house clean, laundry done, and dishes washed. I keep making little projects, and am trying to do things for myself, but often that doesn't happen. I have Christmas gifts to make, cards to mail, menus to plan, and baking to do, all among the education of three children. Now I know why I am so tired! Thank you all for listening to my rant! Off I go to finish Christmas cards.
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